In this file photo, Carl Reed helps son-in-law Sean Reed go through the remnants of his home off Small Farms Drive after the Clover Fire scorched the area. Owners of the 68 homes destroyed last month in the Clover Fire still have to pay a $150 fire prevention fee, a state firefighting official said.

The owners of the 68 homes destroyed in the deadly Clover Fire last month are still subject to a $150 fire prevention fee, the head of the state's firefighting agency said this week.

In a letter to Board of Equalization member George Runner, California Department of Forestry and Fire Prevention Chief Ken Pimlott said the law enacting the controversial fire fee doesn't give his agency any authority to enact waivers.

"The only tools available to provide relief for these victims are the options currently offered through the Board of Equalization," Pimlott said in the letter, noting homeowners have the option of contacting the Board of Equalization to request a payment plan.

Runner had raised the issue last month in a letter to Pimlott suggesting victims of the Clover Fire and those who lost their homes to the massive Rim Fire in Tuolumne County shouldn't have to worry about the fire fee.

The fire fees are charged to people who live in "state responsibility areas," or those areas not covered by a local fire agency. They were put in place to pay for fire prevention services.

Bills for both counties are supposed to be mailed this month.

The Clover Fire broke out Sept. 9 and quickly destroyed homes off Cloverdale and Gas Point Roads near Happy Valley and Igo. Firefighters contained it within a week, but not before it killed a man and destroyed more than 8,000 acres and 128 outbuildings, in addition to the homes.

Shasta County Supervisor Leonard Moty said he believes those who lost their homes should get an exemption, though the fee likely isn't yet on the minds of many as they attempt to rebuild.

But, he said, that might change when bills begin arriving.

"I think it's certainly going to be very disappointing for them to suffer a great loss then on top of that receive a bill for fire services," he said.

Among those who lost their homes is Doug Atkins, chief of the Igo Volunteer Fire Company. He's no fan of the fee, which he said doesn't help fire protection in his area.

"To tell you the truth, the whole tax thing to me is unfair," Atkins said. He also echoed Moty's remarks that it likely won't be on the mind of most homeowners until they receive a bill.

"I think people will really start talking about it then," Atkins said. "Right now they're probably not because they're focused on getting their homes back together."

State Sen. Ted Gaines last month asked Gov. Jerry Brown to direct Cal Fire to cancel the fee for anyone who'd lost a home in Clover Fire. He plans to introduce legislation to exempt those homeowners from the fee when the Legislature reconvenes in January, according to a statement released by his office.

"The bill will also make it clear going forward that if you lose your home to a wildfire, you won't owe the tax," Gaines said in the statement. "It should be that simple."

Kittina Simmons, public information officer for the Shasta-Trinity Unit of Cal Fire, said investigators haven't yet determined what caused the fire.

"It's under investigation," she said.

Finance teams also are still working to determine the total costs to contain the fire in addition to damage costs, Simmons said.

Pimlott said in his letter that a declaration of a state of emergency by Gov. Jerry Brown would allow fire victims to request an extension to pay the fee and possibly avoid penalties and interest.

Shasta County Sheriff Tom Bosenko declared a local state of emergency Sept. 12 and the Board of Supervisors ratified his declaration five days later.

Brown has yet to issue a declaration at the state level. Greg Renick, spokesman for the Office of Emergency Services, said the request for a declaration — which would make the county eligible for emergency-related grants —is still being reviewed.

"Some requests take longer to assess than others do and consequently, there's no set time frame for determining the status of a request," he said.

Renick said there are still other ways the state can help without a declaration, including asking the U.S. Small Business Association to make disaster loans available to Clover Fire victims, which it has.

The state also has forwarded seven applications from local agencies for fire assistance grants to the Federal Emergency Management Agency after a briefing with those agencies earlier this month, he said.